Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Cardinal Timothy Dolan recently announced that the archdiocese is entering into mediation in lieu of court proceedings and is raising funds for abuse settlements with 1,300 plaintiffs.

Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland, said that “too many lives are still being shattered by violence, conflict, and persecution. Therefore, while enhancing protection efforts remains essential, finding ways to address the root causes of forced displacement has become an even greater priority.”

The fund reported $3,924,488 in revenue and $3,335,534 in expenses in 2024. Most of the revenue ($3,702,026) came from national collections; the rest, from investment income.

78% of the expenses ($2,611,460) was allocated to grants and donations. Other expenses included program costs (14%), fundraising expenses (5%), and administrative costs (3%). (According to Charity Navigator’s guidelines, a charity should spend no more than 30% on fundraising and administrative expenses.)

Because revenues exceeded expenses, the fund’s net assets rose from $3,739,661 to $4,486,473 over the course of the year.

Some who have fled the advance of the M23 paramilitary group are “crammed into refugee camps, others in stadiums and open spaces, exposed to the harsh conditions of this rainy season, without blankets, food, or medicine,” Bishop Sébastien Joseph Muyengo Mulombe of Uvira told Vatican News.

“The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church,” said Bishop Théophile Naré, quoting Tertullian. “The key word is resilience: persevering in prayer, hope, and doing good.”

“If the enemy was thinking of snuffing out Christianity, it’s wasting its time: Christianity in Africa is spreading,” he added. The prelate recounted an incident in August when the women of a parish formed a human shield around their parish priest to protect him from an attack during Mass.

Burkina Faso, a West African nation of 23.0 million (map), is 56% Muslim, 26% Christian (16% Catholic), and 17% ethnic religionist.

“There is widespread fear of terrorist attacks in Pakistani society,” said Father Qaisar Feroz, OFM Cap, communications officer for the bishops’ conference. “The government’s plan for alerting and protecting sensitive locations also includes churches, especially during the Christmas season.”

Islam is the official religion of the South Asian nation of 252 million (map), the fifth most populous in the world. 95% of Pakistan’s people are Muslim; 2% are Christian, and 1% are Hindu.

A Bosnian war victim and the daughter of an assassinated Italian prime minister helped present Pope Leo XIV’s Message for the World Day of Peace (CWN analysis) at a Vatican press conference yesterday (video).

“At the center of any work dynamic there should be neither capital, nor market laws, nor profit, but the person, the family, and their well-being, to which everything else is functional,” Pope Leo said during the audience, which took place yesterday in the Apostolic Palace. “This centrality, constantly affirmed by the social doctrine of the Church, must be kept in mind in all business planning and design, so that workers are recognized in their dignity and receive concrete responses to their real needs.”

President Isaac Herzog of Israel called Pope Leo XIV on the afternoon of December 17 to extend his Christmas greetings. During the call, which took place three days after the Bondi Beach shooting, Pope Leo “reiterated the Catholic Church’s firm condemnation of all forms of antisemitism,” according to a statement from the Holy See Press Office.